As Alabama’s only member on the House Agriculture Committee, I take my role in protecting our farmer’s best interests very seriously. 

Alabama’s agricultural industry has quite a large impact on our state economy. Agriculture provides over 580,000 jobs in the state of Alabama, and agriculture and related industries bring in over $70 billion dollars to our great state.   

Just this week, I had the honor of hosting folks from the Alabama Farmers Federation (ALFA) here in Washington, DC.

It’s always good to hear from farmers what programs are working for them and what issues are most important to them.

With the new Trump administration, farmers feel more promise than ever that the government is working on their behalf rather than against them.

Under President Obama, farmers were under assault from overregulation from the EPA and USDA. President Trump has already kept his promise to cut unnecessary government red tape by signing his disapproval of the Waters of the United States rule. This rule was one of the worst examples of bureaucratic overreach by Obama’s EPA.

One issue on the front of the minds of everyone in the Agriculture Committee and farmers alike is the upcoming Farm Bill.

The Farm Bill authorizes into law all farm programs for five years, and the current one expires in 2018.

The House Agriculture Committee has started hearing from the agriculture industry about what programs in the Farm Bill work for them, and most importantly, what programs do not work for them.

As these hearings continue, I remain dedicated to protecting and providing for East Alabama’s farmers.

Everyone’s lives are impacted by America’s farmers, and it’s important we provide farmers with the tools they need to remain strong and successful.